Saraniel Rosefeather
Vigil ( Saraniel Rosefeather ) is a Kaldorei Demon Hunter trained in the dark path of the Illidari by those who remained in Kalimdor under the guidance of the writings of the dark herald. In time she has proven herself a huntress of incredible skill and lethal intuition, marking out her proficiency in the manipulation of fel-magic as being particularly exceptional even amidst those of her own kind. As one of the Illidari and loyal in their cause to eradicate the forces of the Burning Legion at any cost, she has undoubtedly made an innumerable amount of sacrifices in both body and soul to harness the untarnished chaotic power she wields, and so would this purpose remain true in all that she pursues. In addition to this end, however, she has retained at least some small loyalty towards seeking the preservation and superiority of her former kin over the rest of the world, likely hailing from her time as a Sentinel Outrunner prior to the Battle for Mount Hyjal. In greater weight than all of this, however, would be her personal devotion towards her former Shan'do and paramour, Anarashae Shadowscythe. There would be no secret in knowing that if anything guided the huntress forward, it was the unyielding passion she yet held for the one person worthy of her heart. Physical Description This Kaldorei stands lithe and tall as the most of her race, her small-chested form bearing a physique befitting of one who has conditioned themselves for moving quickly and efficiently in the chaos of confrontation. The details of trained muscle that lay just beneath her pale, tainted skin give credence towards her former calling as a Sentinel, a note bolstered further by the numerous smaller scars that coveted the remnants of old minor wounds scattered across her body. Substituting her left hand, the Huntress would bear a well articulated fel-steel gauntlet that extends up towards her elbow, various runic inscriptions bestowing it the power to augment her magical ability to a great extent with the burning fel-energy she is able to absorb into the armament. In addition to this, a thin azsharite hidden blade would rest inside the outfitting, able to be utilized as an effective melee weapon should she come into close contact or seek to use it in ambush. In spite of this, however, it does mark an adaptation made out of the necessity of a limb-removing injury, and requires some amount of using magical forces in order to maintain in effective use. Thinly traced lines of glowing demonic runes would find themselves etched across the natural ley lines of her body, the ritual tattooing of the Illidari that is used in the binding of a demon's soul to her own. Beneath the cover of the netherweave silk blindfold at her sightline would rest an ever burning set of fel-fire orbs that signified her possession of a huntress' spectral sight. She is clearly drained of most of the natural color of her skin as a result of her advancements upon the dark path, and stretching from just aside her chin and carried back towards the upper orbital is the noticeable blemish of a lingering fel-fire burn scar upon the left side of her face, though her features otherwise still bear the untouched youthful beauty of her thousand years. The most physically noticeable sign of her dark transformation can be found in the short, curved horns that grow from her skull. Her verdant green hair is generally kept short out of practicality, though she has taken to styling it in the fashion of the Highborne where she finds length at the back. She is ever touched by the strange aroma of ashen roses, both comforting and yet tinged with the sense of a still smoldering fire. Equipment and Relics Her body is adorned with a well-crafted set of fine Winterhorn stag-skin leather, the touch of seemingly arcane enchantments settled upon it alongside an elaborate outfitting of elegant silk and twisted growing leaves to keep with appearances. Upon closer inspection, and despite the otherwise pure evocative nature of the garment, the runic inscriptions upon it would seem to be written in the demonic language of the Eredar, and bear itself as precursor to the woman who wore it as a product of the dark path of the Illidari. Alongside this appearance, she would remain steadfast towards her possession of the satchel that remained ever fastened at her side, likely containing all manner of foul alchemical components and other such necessities of her hunt that would come of use for one of her kind. When prompted into combat, the Huntress wields a single warglaive in her right hand, reforged by the Felsmith Liara Stargaze of an ancient relic into a weapon of fel-tainted azsharite that holds the soul of the Fel-Lord For'thax within the complex array of demonic runes engraved upon it, thus granting a hideous green glow that seems to gift the glaive with a certain life of its own. Her many long years of physical combat as a Sentinel beforehand and her training following her approach of the dark path would bestow her with an adept ability in utilizing such a weapon in conflict with unyielding speed and accompaniment to her spell-casting. The main strength that her single glaive would provide over a secondary weapon was that she could focus more upon concentrating her innate magical talents and become more offensively potent, despite the sacrifice of a stronger physically defensive stance. History ( Spoilers for this character's backstory follow, and are presented here for the sake of providing a proper record. Though it is highly unlikely that any of this would ever be revealed even through roleplay, if you'd rather not know anything of her unspoken background then it is recommended that you avoid reading this section. ) Early Life Born in Starfall Village in Winterspring some eight-thousand years after the Sundering, amidst the everlasting snowfall that lay at the bottom of the slopes of Mount Hyjal and the World Tree, she would grow to find the harsh landscape awash with equal parts fierceness and beauty. With her father, Aetheren Silvercrest, held to his duty of maintaining the sanctity of the Emerald Dream from his slumber within the Ban'Thallow Barrow Den, she experienced the most of her upbringing alongside her mother, who was herself one of the older Sisters of Elune and had been chosen to fulfill her path as a Watcher and aspiring Warden of the Kaldorei. Despite the communal nature of her people's usual path of upbringing, it was largely under this familial bond that Saraniel would eventually aspire to carry the burden of her mother in becoming a Sentinel Outrunner, knowing even from an early age that the path of an idle peace would never still her heart's desire to ensure that her people were safe from harm. Adulthood ( She participated in the War of Shifting Sands and then held her own as a skilled Sentinel Outrunner in the years that followed alongside her paramour, Faera Dawncloud. ) The Battle of Mount Hyjal ( Upon the slopes of Mount Hyjal, she bore witness to the full might of the Burning Legion and saw her lover killed before her eyes. The events would later come to cause her to forsake her following of Elune and fall into despair. ) The Dark Embrace ( In the years after this, she trains herself extensively in becoming prepared to reach the path set out by Lord Illidan Stormrage in order to find herself able to avenge her loss. Eventually becomes Thero'shan to Anarashae Shadowscythe in a coven of Demon Hunters remaining in Kalimdor. ) The Ashen Rose ( After becoming a full Huntress, she commits fully to her relationship with her former Shan'do and decides that there is still something worth fighting for that exists in her present. ) Personality Despite the horrific and twisted aura that held to every fiber of her being, lurking in scattered breaths just beneath the surface, the Kaldorei’s demeanor would hold a remarkably profound difference from what one might initially expect amongst those of her kind. Embodying her unyielding mental resolve as perhaps her greatest strength, it is only through this intense mastery of control that she is able to wield the chaotic powers she does without falling to insanity at their very touch. The Huntress bears an unwavering loyalty towards the cause of the Illidari and their goal of eradicating the threat posed by the forces of the Burning Shadow, dedicating herself with a zealous fervor towards all that her dark sacrifice would entail. She is thusly remarkably formal and diplomatic when speaking with others that she bears no previous familiarity with, though one would hardly bear the impression that she was entirely stable or genuine in this, as she would surely warn of herself. For bound within her is the soul of a Shivarra, its demonic essence fueling her transformation at the time of her ritual binding upon the dark path, and henceforth bearing similar traits ever the further towards her personality. In the moment that her hunt was brought into being or she was triggered into confrontation, there would be little recollecting this image of control with the force of vengeance she allows herself to become, enacting a calculated release of chaotic and unbound fury that makes her an absolute terror to face in battle. It often requires more than a few moments of mediation before she can truly feel herself after indulging in such bloodshed, making it abundantly clear that even controlled as she may be, it is only a passing facade between the switchlike demeanor that could take hold when provoked. There would be few who would ever grow to know her in a more personal manner, those amongst the Illidari being hardly acclimated towards such conversation and those amongst Kaldorei culture yet reviling her as the monster they perhaps rightly saw her to be. Nonetheless, there is an element to her personality that seems almost sisterly in nature, deeply affectionate and caring for those whom she would hold any major connection to. Ultimately, her loyalty and devotion towards those few, if any, whom had earned it would be paramount to her nature, rivaling even the burning hatred seated inside of her. It remains, however, a quality typically unseen, with many coming to understand her to be almost entirely Machiavellian and seeking only to serve her own interests even amidst allies. Whilst bound as one of the Illidari, following the ideals of the Great Shan’do who was banished and largely cut himself away from the rest of his former culture, there exists a rather stark difference between the way that she herself would view them, perhaps owing towards her younger age and deeper connection in her former life as a Sentinel. One might find that she holds the Kaldorei far above other races of the world, even finding disgust in those races she views as lesser towards their inheriting of power and allowance in their ancient lands. It is likely that she would treat anyone not of her own heritage with exceptional scrutiny, bearing perhaps an extremely traditional viewing that was only partial towards her amiable respect for the other elven races. Despite her continued desire to remain closer towards the Kaldorei than most of her path, she is also known to be deeply and inherently vehement in her hatred of their goddess Elune, constantly spitting upon her name and proclaiming that her people are little more than fools to trust in mother moon’s guidance. Relationships ( The following section details the most important relationships that she has built in her contact with others. ) Anarashae Shadowscythe Formerly her Shan'do instructing her in the ways of the dark path of the Illidari, the huntress chose the elder Highborne as her mentor after deciding that her methods would be the most effective source of proving herself worthy of her sacrifice. The training endured by the young Thero'shan was exceedingly harsh, dangerous, and ever held to the principle of Shadowscythe's guiding rule: The price of failure, to any extent, would always be death --- By her own hand. Though somewhat restrained by the possibility that she may not survive the process, the two of them gradually became closer than either of them had ever anticipated, developing a bond that extended far beyond that of even the relationship between Shan'do and Thero'shan. It would come to be a simultaneous process of emotional healing for Saraniel in accepting her past and finding even in the chaos ahead, a future that she could call her own. With the completion of her training, there was nothing standing in the way of their love for eachother, and the pair vowed to stand together against the coming tides of darkness. She remains the only living person aside from Saraniel's mother to hold present knowledge of her first name and the exact details of her past, and the only person to whom the young huntress would place her complete trust and heart. In the time preceding the Third Invasion of the Burning Legion, Anarashae was captured at the hand of the Warden Narithe Rosefeather, thus setting the stage for a confrontation between mother and daughter as Saraniel ruthlessly sought to find a way to reunite with her paramour once again. Narithe Rosefeather The bond between mother and daughter remains ever so strong, yet twisted horribly like the path Saraniel has taken. She was raised at Narithe's hand for the most of her life, coming to embrace her values and learn of the world through the tempered eyes of a warrior. It was not until her enamorment with Faera Dawncloud that the two of them began to drift apart, with Narithe becoming distant to the youthful perspective of hope that had defined her daughter. An illusion, as she saw it, that was all too harshly shattered during the Battle of Mount Hyjal. Unable to reconcile Saraniel's distress at losing the one person she so truly cared for, Narithe grew frustrated and in doing so committed her greatest mistake in allowing the place of her daughter's fall to a darker path. After losing her for nearly a decade, the rumors of what she had done and become surfaced amidst the ranks of the remaining wardens, and Narithe pledged herself towards ending her daughter's suffering. Spells and Abilities ... Trivia * One particular piece of music has proven essential to her characterization and concept, "When It Falls" by Jeff and Casey Lee Williams. "This is not a tragedy, it's not an accident, you placed your faith in fools and now you'll smother in lament." * If placed upon the classic alignment system of Dungeons and Dragons, she would likely fall most closely towards Neutral Evil. * This character is never in-character in cities given the fact that she is a Demon Hunter, if you are looking on this page and ever want to organize something, perhaps consider sending me a message in-game on Astridia. Category:The Dark Embrace Category:Kaldorei Category:Demon Hunters Category:Illidari Category:Characters Category:Night Elf